Stephen Colbert has been in the news a lot this year with the upcoming cancellation of The Late Show on CBS, but he’s far from the only one affected. Anchors including John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois are also leaving amid Paramount’s merger with Skydance. December 18 marked the CBS Evening News hosts’ last day on the air, and Colbert’s feelings on the matter seemed pretty clear when he hugged Dickerson before throwing his middle finger in the air.
John Dickerson and Stephen Colbert participated in a Political Gabfest live show following the news of both men’s impending exits from CBS, and while Colbert has handled this period of instability with a lot of grace — including in his acceptance speech following The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s first Emmy — he didn’t seem to have a problem giving “his regards” to the network when it came to Dickerson. See the emotional moment below:
As the Slate podcast host introduces John Dickerson as “formerly of CBS News,” the longtime anchor removed his tie, much to the delight of the audience, as well as Stephen Colbert. The Late Show host jumped up to hug Dickerson and then turned toward the crowd shooting the middle finger up, seemingly to the leadership at Paramount Skydance.
John Dickerson joined CBS News in 2009 and hosted several different shows over the years before partnering with Maurice DuBois in 2024 on the CBS Evening News. DuBois, meanwhile, joined WCBS-TV in New York in 2004, staying with the network-owned station until joining the national broadcast alongside Dickerson last year. Tony Dokoupil will take over the evening news on January 5. You can see Dickerson and DuBois’ official sign-off below:
In addition to CBS Evening News, the daytime schedule is getting a pretty big shakeup as well. CBS Saturday Morning anchors Michelle Miller and Dana Jacobson are out, as well as EP Brian Applegate. The streaming companions CBS Mornings Plus and CBS Evening News Plus have also been canceled.
The network is closing its news bureau in Johannesburg, South Africa, putting senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta out of a job after 12 years. Los Angeles Bureau Chief Joelle Martinez is also out, and the Race and Culture Unit lost eight of its nine employees under the leadership of new CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. There have been rumors for months that Gayle King is also leaving when her contract ends in May 2026, but that has not been confirmed or denied.
Stephen Colbert’s fate, meanwhile, is known, with his final late-night episode set for the same month — May 2026 — and he hasn’t shied away too much from talking about it. His days being numbered has actually resulted in some awkward moments with Emma Stone and Taylor Swift, when they tried to make future plans with Colbert.
There seems to be no love lost between the late-night host and CEO David Ellison, despite Stephen Colbert joking that telling his boss “I love you” should buy him a few more months on the air.
The Late Show’s cancellation has been blamed on finances — an excuse strongly disputed by fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel — while others have argued it’s “absolutely transparent” that politics are in play.
We may not be able to see John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois on the evening news anymore, but you can still find Stephen Colbert for a few more months at 11:35 p.m. ET weekdays on CBS.
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